


Choose

by izzybelledot



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Can be taken as platonic or romantic, Dangerous Darryl Noveschoch, Darryl Noveschosch Needs a Hug, Darryl Noveschosch Tries, Darryl Noveschosch-centric, Demon Darryl Noveschosch, Dissociation, Egg Arc, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Good Darryl Noveschosch, Hurt No Comfort, Hybrid Darryl Noveschosch, I'm Sorry, M/M, Manipulative Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Mind Manipulation, Omlette Arc, Panic Attacks, Past Friends Darryl Noveschoch and Clay | Dream, Protective Cara | CaptainPuffy, Sad Darryl Noveschosch, Self-Destruction, Semi-Cannon-Compliant, Sleep Deprivation, The Crimson, Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), What-If, general traumatic stuff i guess, he's trying his best, just a bit, kinda rushed, sry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29774253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/izzybelledot/pseuds/izzybelledot
Summary: Badboyhalo found a cure for Skeppy's possession. All he had to do was find Skeppy and give him the potion, and then Skepy would be back to normal.Dream finds him first.
Relationships: Cara | CaptainPuffy & Darryl Noveschosch, Clay | Dream & Darryl Noveschosch, Zak Ahmed & Darryl Noveschosch, Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch
Comments: 3
Kudos: 84





	Choose

Bad was exhausted.

Puffy only let Bad search for Skeppy during the day, keeping a mandatory curfew on him. And he did appreciate the effort; she knew him all too well and didn't want him to get hurt. He had complied with the curfew, spending his nights pouring over research about the egg in his home. He found records of the egg in the past- including one especially interesting one in Karl's library. He also ran tests on the egg with colored wool, church prime water, and other artifacts. It had felt useless some days like nothing could save Skeppy- until it wasn't.

He found a cure.

He had smashed a totem of the undying, grinding it into a powder, and mixed it with church prime water. He then administered it to a sheep he'd left penned by the egg (previously dyed blue) and it had worked. He'd been shocked, only having used the totem after noticing how much clearer his head felt when he'd had it equipped in the egg's presence. He made two doses of it and slipped them into a satchel wrapped with multiple layers of cloth and wool.

He hadn't slept for days- but he set off as soon as possible, trying to find Skeppy. Even under the egg's influence, he had refused to stay in one place. He had built little cave-homes all around the server, hiding out in a different one nearly every day. But he never strayed too far from the egg. 

His search was tireless at first. He checked every monster cave around the towns or cities, checked every beach. When he'd checked everywhere Skeppy would usually run off to he began to realize things might be more difficult than he'd assumed. Skeppy wasn't in his right mind, meaning Bad had no idea where Skeppy could have gone.

He searched for three days, only stopping to check in with Puffy and spend his nights either napping or crossing off areas on the largest map he'd been able to find. He combed through the entire map without finding Skeppy, and he knew that Skeppy had likely decided to travel around. He kept looking.

The world was changing around him, people gearing up to confront Dream. He knew he should be helping, and he promised himself to show up for the confrontation when it would happen. But he just didn't have time to focus on that. He didn't stop searching.

The fur on his face covered his eyebags, the way his tail would drag in the dirt behind him was explained away. People wouldn't see him for weeks, but they were all busy anyway.

Bad had to keep going.

His limbs were dragging in his exhaustion, and he felt as if he wasn't quite there. He wondered if he'd felt like himself at all since Skeppy was possessed. Since he'd been too weak to resist the egg's call, and Skeppy had paid the price. He didn't want to think about it, but the area around him wasn't holding his attention. The trees all looked the same, everything actually looked the same. It took him a moment to realize it was because he'd stopped walking. Upon realizing it, he didn't start up again.

He was so tired.

He'd just rest for a moment, just a moment. He walked back a bit to a tree, settling at its roots without much hesitation. His back was aching, and he hugged himself slightly to keep himself from fidgeting too much.

His head thunked back against the tree, his thoughts weighing heavy in every fiber of his being. He couldn't find Skeppy, and there was no guarantee Skeppy was even in the SMP. The Crimson could have made him run away, or hidden him farther than Bad could possibly travel by now. He knew Skeppy was alive, but that didn't help him much in finding him.

His eyes slipped shut, breath deepening. If he fell asleep now he wouldn't make it back in time to meet Puffy. She'd be disappointed, but understanding. She likely wouldn't even be surprised, but he knew she'd worry. He wondered if a mob would kill him before she found him.

He shook his head, trying to clear the urge to just fall asleep. He had the antidote, he was too close now.

He stood, shaky on his feet as he glanced around. 

Dream was standing to his left.

He froze, feeling all too much like a deer in the headlights. It might as well have been literal. Dream wasn't wearing any armor, but neither was Bad. They weren't on bad terms, but Bad knew his friend had changed. Knew that Dream likely didn't hold him to any sort of value. He'd already faced that sting in the privacy of his home, not wanting to be caught in that revelation unaware.

"Hello, Bad."

"Hi, Dream," He smiled weakly. "What's up?"

"Oh, you know... I've been around," He replied airily. He paused, head tilting with purpose. "You've been busy."

"I found the antidote for Skeppy," Bad admitted. He knew Dream had to know, there was nothing else Bad really had that would interest him. Though he couldn't imagine why this would either, aside from a hunch. "Do you know where he is?"

"Why so accusatory?" Dream chuckled, knowing full well what Bad had meant. The two of them had known each other perhaps longer than anyone else on the server. Bad wasn't typically difficult to read, but he could be if he wanted to. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"I didn't know you still had any of those," Bad admitted, only half out of spite. "You didn't answer my question."

Bad didn't typically let himself get so hostile; not the loud joking hostile he used when his friends were muffining around- this quiet hostile. The type of hostile that kept him alive in hell, the type of hostile that reminded people that he was not of earth. That he was made of darkness and built to destroy and to tear down anything in his path.

Dream hadn't known him back then, but he'd known Bad when he was still fairly new to reeling in that quiet bloodlust. When Bad had been prone to act out on occasional... mood swings.

That wasn't to say the people he'd affected hadn't deserved it though.

"I didn't think I'd need to."

"You have Skeppy."

Dreams head tilted patronizingly, and Bad fought to keep a budding growl in his throat. He could remember a time when Dream wouldn't hesitate to get in the face of whoever tried to patronize him. When they protected each other from anything the world had to throw at them. 

"Yeah, I do. In a prison- far away from here."

"A prison?"

Dream chuckled, and the sound causing Bad's tail to lash unwillingly behind him. He tried to keep his reactions to a minimum, knowing Dream would be able to read him from them. "Not that prison."

Bad didn't react, waiting for Dream to get on with whatever he'd come here to say. Dream seemed all too happy to oblige. "Attachments are what controls everyone on this server, the little three cannon lives thing never quite feels real until they're on their last one. Your mortal counterpart is just as much a weakness as Tommy's disks."

"Maybe to you," Bad acknowledged. "But there are worse weaknesses to have."

"You wouldn't think that if I slit his throat."

Bad ignored the lump in his throat. "He has three lives, I could protect him."

"I made him set his respawn."

Oh, that was a problem. The fur on the back of his neck began to poof out a bit, and Bad was ever-thankful for his hood. Most reactions he could control, that was not one of them

"I could, you know," Dream mused aloud, voice softening into a whisper. It reminded Bad of days running from villagers and hunters, hiding in caves and covering giggles in the palms of their hands as they escaped once again. They'd been on top of the world and had nothing to their name. "I could kill him and give you his head, maybe carve the gems out of his flesh and put them in a bag for you. I could put him between some pistons and give you his headbox filled with however much of him could fit."

An involuntary whimper escaped, and Bad could nearly see Dream's smile poking out from the side of his mask. He kept his eyes narrowed, trying not to imagine anything happening to Skeppy. "What do you want?"

"That's better," Dream praised walking forwards. He didn't touch Bad thankfully, but he let out a little mocking coo. "It didn't take as long as I thought it would."

"Thats a lie."

"Maybe," Dream chuckled easily.

Bad waited, knowing Dream wanted a reaction out of him. He'd already given him one, he wouldn't give him another. Dream didn't seem as happy to start talking this time, likely having wanted to drag this out for longer. "I want you to let the egg control you again."

The world seemed to stop for a moment, and Bad felt as though the air had been drained from his lungs, terror boiling over in his gut. Of anything he could have expected- this hadn't been on his mind. The egg wasn't human, but he'd stopped thinking Dream was human awhile ago. He didn't react outwardly that he could tell, but inside he was struggling to hold together his composure.

"Why?" Bad's throat was closing in on itself, the thought of the disappointment in Puffy and Sam's eyes. The thought of Skeppy's sacrifice being for nothing, the thought of willingly letting his mind become clouded over. The thought of the egg's disgusting gunk coating his thoughts and emotions. "What do you get from that?"

"You'll see," Dream answered easily. He moved away, and Bad's instincts fought against himself to follow or not. "The egg isn't what you think it is. Don't worry."

Bad didn't know what the egg was, not really. He could guess it was a dreamon, or any number of organisms from hell- but he had no inkling which one it could be. He clenched the bag tighter in his hands, the antidote he had carried for so long, his only hope of Skeppy being healed. Dream didn't seem to notice.

"How do I knows if you're telling the truth," He asked, far softer and more resigned than he'd intended. 

Dream seemed pleased by it, and it made Bad's skin crawl in discomfort. Dream liked to toy around with his victims, it had never sat well with Bad. He hated to play into his hands like this."Come on Bad, don't you trust me?"

"No!" Bad barked a bit hysterically, his careful composure crumbling despite his desperate attempts to hold it together. "No, I don't."

"Oh, Bad," Dream sighed. "I'm just doing what's best for everyone, you'll see."

Dream was covered in growing shadows now, his green beginning to blend in with the foliage behind him. The sun was setting, and Bad knew if he didn't get back soon, he'd miss Puffy's curfew. The thought of disappointing her wore heavy on his mind, and he knew it was inevitable now. 

"Bad, you'll do the right thing," Dream assured him. "Because you know what's best for Skeppy, don't you."

Dream was gone, white mask hidden. Bad knew he was still there, of course, watching him. Bad was being hunted, and he was all too familiar with Dream's methods. He knew that Dream knew he knew, knew that Bad knew he didn't have a choice.

He started walking to Puffy's checkpoint before he'd fully realized it. A skeleton shot at him, but he didn't bother to attack it. He just kept going. 

The few vines left growing around the SMP stood stark against the surrounding buildings- even at night. It felt like they were watching him, taunting him, and inviting him at the same time. 

Puffy was standing next to the therapy platform, shoulders tense until he got close enough for her to see him. "Bad, you're cutting it really close here. You gotta get some sleep, alright?"

He didn't reply for a moment, imagining Puffy's reaction when he'd emerge with a white cloak and thorns growing out of his skin. 

"Bad?"

"Sorry," He replied, not really paying attention to what he was saying. "Got a little held up."

"It's fine, Bad. We'll find a way to heal him," Puffy reassured him as she took his arm. The contact made his fur stand on end, and he hoped she wouldn't notice. This was his last chance to talk to her before he would betray her. He couldn't waste it, despite his discomfort. "These things just take time."

"Right," Bad agreed. The satchel against his leg burned, he ached to pull out the potion. "Thanks, Puffy."

They were at the mansion now, and Bad could already imagine it overrun with vines. Could remember when Skeppy and he had built it. "Of course, let's just meet up again tomorrow, okay? We'll fix this."

_I will _He wanted to say. _I will, and you'll hate me for it.___

__"Goodnight, Puffy."_ _

__She pulled him in for a quick hug, and he clung to her momentarily. "Goodnight."_ _

__He closed the door, facing it with his head leaned against it as tears threatened to escape. He could hear her walking away, could hear some far-off laughter. He knew Dream couldn't see him, but a part of him still felt unsafe and vulnerable even in his own home. The wood was pressed harshly against his forehead, his claws digging into his palms as tears ran down his face unobstructed. The wetness pushed down his fur, sweat making his neck clump together similarly._ _

__He'd been so close!_ _

__A whimper slipped out of his mouth, and he wrenched his way away from the door. He stumbled back across the floor, turning with purpose towards his room. He hadn't been in there since the night after Skeppy had been turned, it had been too painful. All he could see was possessed Skeppy, Dreams mask, the egg's vines._ _

__He collapsed on his bed, taking heaving breaths as the sheets were ripped in his hands. He was a demon, he was built for destruction. Built for violence and to strike terror into everyone's hearts._ _

__But Skeppy hadn't been scared of him._ _

__Everything in the room reminded him of Skeppy, and he felt so far away from those happy days. The night passed slowly, and yet all too fast. And when the sun began to peak across the horizon, Bad had full netherite armor in his inventory and was standing at the decontamination chamber. He didn't want a slow possession, didn't want the back-and-forth war in his mind._ _

__His pickaxe smashed the chamber, tearing down the whole thing and catching the church prime water in a bucket. He held it for a moment before tossing it into the small bit of lava the egg had created near its base._ _

__The egg's presence settled over his mind hesitantly, as if it was expecting to fight for control. He didn't._ _

__

__̶̰͗"̴͓͍̾Ǫ̸͠h̶̺̕,̸̟̮̲̄͊̆ ̴̡̠̽ḷ̴̦̏̚͜ĭ̴̡͓͖̕t̴̪̔͆t̶̢̠̙̐ľ̴͎͖ė̸̯̖͖̆ ̴̃̾͜s̶͇̊e̵͈̻͎̐͛r̷̙͂̓͗v̴̅͜å̵̹ņ̴̔̒͂t̶͇͔͗ ̴͙͎̒̚͘I̵̼͆̂ ̴͉̯͐̄s̷̡̘̄̄ĕ̵̫͈̥e̷͙̣̞̎̉͑ ̸̳̐y̷̹̺͍͒ö̴̩́͝ü̷̥̩ ̸̲̝͕̾͝h̷̨̞͎̕ǎ̴̤͉v̶̫̈́͗̕ȩ̸̱̄ͅ ̷̦̮̭͐͑ṛ̴̊̊ẻ̴̱ṫ̷̠̈́̋u̸̗̇̄r̴͓̍͌n̵͖̐ë̴̡͓͙́̊d̸͙̣̘̑͠.̴̢̗̔̅"̴̰͊͆_ _

__

__He felt a shiver run up his spine. A urge to _runrunrun_ fighting to claw it's way up his throat and take control. The egg's presence was somehow worse than he remembered it- maybe because it knew it didn't have to pretend as much anymore. _ _

__

__̶̣̫̐"̶̻̼͊͆Ḭ̴͗́ ̸̘͇̈́̚m̷̙̯͊i̸̳͛̚s̴̩̋͆s̶̻̲̆e̸̲͂̅ḏ̴͔̊ ̸̪̜͌̂y̵̛̗͙ǒ̷̲͕͑ǘ̸̪́,̴̯͚̒̿ ̸͙̒ḻ̴̑͘i̵͕̩͗̑t̷͈͐̈t̷̟͎͊͠l̴̗̅ͅḙ̵̡̐̕ ̵̞̙͒s̵̡̳͛ë̸͎́ř̸̫͜v̵̫̆̉ȁ̷̢͖͛n̷̺̹̑͘t̴̹͐̈.̸͇͙̋̍ ̸̲̍͜Ḍ̶̔o̴̮̹̕n̶̖̏̅͜'̶̣̠́t̷̲̏ ̷͎͐w̵͔̽̋ō̷̲͜r̵͙̔ṟ̶͇̈́y̵̢̯͗͗,̶̮̺̿̕ ̷̢̥̒͘I̵͚͍̾̉'̵̬̏͐l̵̖̖̿l̴͉̘̿̆ ̷͙̔t̶̛̛͈̩ä̷̦k̶͙̝̊ẻ̵̼͉͠ ̷̞̮̄c̶̘̞̓a̴͔̐͜͠r̸͔̻̽̉e̶͎͙͘ ̸͚̼̈́̔ǒ̴̜f̸̢͌̌ ̶͔̗̀̔y̶̨͈͆̋o̵͎̗͌ų̴̐̈́.̵̝͆́"̶̱̪̿  
̷̺͘_ _

__

__A growl slipped from his throat, even as his hands stayed still. He wished he could jump forward and hack off the few vines growing from the egg, or turn around and block off the entrance again. He felt the egg urge him to move forward. He did._ _

__

__"̸̪̅Ÿ̸͓́o̷̭͌ủ̷̳ ̵̲̋c̷̰̈a̵̠̔n̸̫̈́ ̵̮b̵̖̊e̸̩̾ ̸̙͋w̷̨̾ȉ̶̪t̴̘̚h̴͚̏ ̴̡͠ȳ̴͔o̸̹͌u̵͇ŕ̵͕ ̸̙̇f̶̝̑r̶̢͌i̵͖̒ĕ̸̡n̴̤͠d̴̼̈́,̵̼̿ ̷̟͗I̷͎̓ ̴̰̃c̸̗̒a̷̩̽n̷̞̉ ̵̗̒ġ̴̬i̵̖̽v̶̩ẹ̷͑ ̴̤͑y̴͎̓o̶̝͝u̵̡̐ ̸̹̊t̴̡͝h̵͇̑ȇ̵̙ ̵̪̈́p̷̝̂ö̸͈́w̸̢̿e̸̺̕r̴͍͊ ̷͚̍t̵̙͑o̷̧̚ ̷̹͘d̸̙̓e̵̳͊f̴̯̚ē̴̼n̴̤͝d̷͚̓ ̶̖̽y̴͙̓ǫ̷͛ų̶r̷͓̚s̵̡̉ë̶̯l̶̜͒f̵͈͘.̴̞"̶̯̂_ _

__

__He imagined beating Dream, rescuing Skeppy. He imagined it so clearly he could almost convince himself it was real. He knew it wasn't the only way- knew it wasn't the path he should take. But at the end of the day, he couldn't find Skeppy. The SMP was expansive, and Dream had likely enlisted Punz to help him hide the base. There was no telling where Skeppy was, and Dream might make good on his promise to hurt Skeppy._ _

__"Okay."_ _

__He was at the base of the egg, and he could feel its presence almost tangibly now. A pleasant fog settled over his mind, and he saw a thorn sticking straight out of his wrist. It was already too late, but he couldn't help but think it had always been too late for him._ _

__Had he ever had a choice?_ _

__

__"̶̞͗Y̵̠̏o̴͍̐ű̶͓ ̷̙͌a̵̙̍r̸͉̂ẹ̴͗ ̶͖͝s̵̢̽o̴͓̚ ̶̹͝s̸̈́͜m̸̜̍a̶̟l̷̖̒l̴̮̏ ̸̺̽a̷̼͐n̵̠̓d̷̘̊ ̴͓̋p̴͈̔õ̸̯w̶̿ͅe̸̩̕r̵̪͋l̵̥͝ẽ̶̩ṣ̴͐š̷̨,̶̗̽ ̷̝͛b̵̼ủ̴̡ṱ̸̚ ̶̼̉y̸̹͐o̵̳͘ṷ̶ ̷̹͌c̵̠͝a̴̰̐ṉ̶͌ ̶̱̌b̶͓̓ê̵̘ ̴̟̉ǔ̸̝s̵̥̏ê̸̼f̵̥ǘ̶̞l̷̺̓ ̴̞͝f̵̬̍o̸̞̿r̴̯̿ ̶̘̐m̶̹͆e̵̪͝.̵̝͗ ̶̤̇D̷͓̈o̴̠̐ ̶̬̾ẅ̸͈e̸͇͝ ̷̺͝h̴̭̔a̵͜͝v̴̘̋ė̴̪ ̵̦͐a̷̼ ̵̣͋d̵̰̈e̷̯̚a̵̼l̸̘̃?̸̮̉"̵̭́_ _

__

__He smiled, puking out a stack of gold he'd brought for the egg. It had to be hungry after he'd neglected it. He'd never do so again._ _

__

__"Of course."_ _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This is just an angsty what-if that came to me a few days ago. It was fun to write, and I honestly like the concept a lot. If anyone else wants to write this in their own style or write sequels or spin-offs be my guest! Give me more ANgsty BBH content p l e a s e.
> 
> I have once again used the Glitch Text generator: https://lingojam.com/GlitchTextGenerator


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